and sex. They estimate the contributions at present, or rather before the late continental war, at 334,000,000; or about 9 livres 7 sous per head. Thus it would at first blush appear, that the expenses, or rather the burdens of the people, were essentially diminished. But it is necessary to observe, that, by the accounts of the treasury for the year eleven, which was the year in which they were at peace with all the world, the actual receipts of the treasury amounted to 741,230,351, equal to about thirty millions sterling; and though the articles, which compose a large part of this revenue, are not what are called per sonal contributions, yet they arise from indirect taxes,excises,stamps, lotteries, &c. which are in effect a charge on the publick, and therefore amount to nearly as much per head, as the contributions before the revolution, viz. to upwards of 22 livres for each individual. The expenses of the year 13, which was the last, amounted to 684,000,000, and the revenues were made adequate to the discharge of them. But you will observe, the continental war had not then broken out, and that a war with England only does not cost France more than a state of peace. Her military establishment would in either case be the same, and the French will never relax their measures to re-establish their marine: in short, I think it would be more active in time of peace, than in that of war. The manner of raising their taxes I shall make the subject of a future letter.

From the late returns, officially made to the government; the following facts, in relation to the population of France are established:

1st. The number of inhabitants to a league square is 1080. 2d. The number of births to the whole population is as 1 to 28. The number of marriages population as 1 to 132.

3d.

to

4th.

The number of deaths to the population as 1 to 30. From the last of which it results, that there are thirty persons born to twenty-eight that die, so that there is a small increase of population annually in France, from natural causes, which might double its population in a little more than four hundred years. But when we place against this, the extra loss of inhabitants, arising from occasional epidemicks, which occur in populous countries every century at least, and the loss in war, which is not computed, and other general disasters, I cannot think the increase more than sufficient to keep up the existing numbers.

As to the effects of emigration or of immigration on most of the States of Europe, they are very inconsiderable,especially in France, where the rigour with regard to passports is such, that it is impossible for a Frenchman to quit his country, to enter it, or to travel in it, without the leave of the police; which leave, at least to quit the country, will not be given without the most urgent reasons.No such system exists in England !! An Englishman lands, and emigrates, travels, or stays at home, without passports or domiciliary visits!!

The number of men between 20 and 40 (and who are all liable to military service) amounts to about 7,600,000. Out of this number, 60,000 are drawn by lot annually; so that about 1 in 127 of all the males between 20 and 40 are an

education, when it is considered out of their sphere to give an opinion beyond the fashions of the day, or the amusements of the season; and when, by making an observation on literature, they receive the odious title of female pedant, and are sneeringly said to be so sensible, as to be fit only for the company of gentlemen. Because some of their sex wish to be thought metaphysicians or statesmen, characters for which they are unqualified both by nature and education, are the rest to be excluded from the paths of literature and the regions of taste? The powers of women are certainly adequate to the part they have to bear in society; but such is the state of our social parties, and such the want of ease which prevails at them, that those powers are wholly lost; and it is frequently difficult to discover, whether a lady, whose mind is really cultivated, can extend her ideas beyond the most trifling subject of conversation. Our parties are not indeed so formal as they once were, when the two sexes were arranged fronting each other, like hostile armies, and were never disturbed during the evening, except when some valiant advanced towards the foe, and after a short skirmish retreat ed to his former security. But we have still great stiffness in all our parties, which is as uncomfortable to be supported, as the brocades and contracted waists were by the dames of old. The attempts, that have been made to correct this stiffness, have been generally injudicious, and have ended in the opposite extreme of levity, which, though it may have rendered celebrated the ladies of some cities, yet has never produced individual esteem. Some with their stiffness throw aside that natural dignity of

character, which is the best support of female worth. Wishing to be easy, they become familiar; they are flattered by the attentions of the moment, and supported by their own conceit; they go on without reflecting, till too late they find themselves deserted; and discover, that for the gratification of the moment, they have rendered themselves cheap, and have lost that respect, which they sought to obtain. Like toys, they are trifled with for a time, and are then put aside for some new plaything. Many of our first ladies likewise want confidence, and suffer themselves to be abashed and silenced by the folly and impertinence of fops. I have known many a lady, who, with a small circle of friends, was the life of the party, unable in a mixed company to take any share in conversation.

But if ladies do not perform their part in society, gentlemen are still more deficient. Some think their duty fully performed, if they are in time to attend their wives home. Others collect in a corner to converse on the news of the day, or the business of the exchange; while some are seated the whole evening at the serious and taciturn game of whist. Our young men think they condescend by being present at these parties, and are therefore little anxious to promote the entertainment of the company; though perhaps they may repeat a few studied speeches, in order to impress upon others the same exalted ideas of their own worth, that they have themselves.

The hostess equally mistakes her part, when she considers that she has performed her duty by providing refreshments for the evening,and guests to consume them. There are indeed a few small cir

cles, which ought to be exempted from this general character; but they are rare, and many of those ladies, who shine in them, are lost in the mixed crowds of large teaparties. To render general society agreeable, it would be necessary, that every one should feel he had a part to bear in it; and that he was bound to exert himself for the entertainment of the whole. If the hostess, instead of discharging a long score of old debts, by squeezing into her apartments a large collection of persons, whose faces even are not familiar to each other, and few of whom can converse on the same topicks, would invite those persons only, whose society would be mutually agreeable, and who could without restraint join in the same conversation if gentlemen would recollect, that whatever pleasure they may derive from their own society, it is in the company of ladies only

:

that their manners can be softened and refined: if they would therefore endeavour to give ladies confidence, and throwing off their own superciliousness,introduce subjects that ladies may converse upon with ease, and reflect upon with pleasure if ladies would throw off formality and restraint, and yet retain gentleness and modest dignity, which find their way to every heart: if every one would enter into company, determined to be pleased, society would assume a new appearance. No other exertion would be necessary to render it perfectly agreeable, and to make us as celebrated for our charming social intercourse, as we are now for our stupid tea parties. Till these exertions are made, we shall only smile at the complaints of those, who consider themselves bound to endure the present ennui of society.

LETTER

Naples, Feb. 7. 1805.

MORALS OF ITALY--THE WALTZ.

MY DEAR SISTER,

I PROMISED you my observations on the state of morals and manners in Italy. In reply to your queries as to the correctness of the pictures drawn by Moore, Brydone, Smollet, and Mrs.Starke, I would observe, that I think it extremely unfair in a traveller, who visits a foreign country, to whose language he is in a considerable degree a stranger, into whose so

TENTH.

ciety he can only have a limited' and partial admission to draw general and illiberal inferences as to the state of their morals, and the nature of their domestick relations. The very illiberal representations which we have seen made of the manners of our own country by Chastellux, Weld, Parkinson, Liancourt, Bayard, and that execrable German, whose travels were republished in the Port Folio, ought to lead us to be very cautious how we venture upon general descriptions, especially unfavourable ones, of foreign nations. What credit

can we give to narrations of this sort, when we find the most liberal of the abovementioned travellers, Mons. Bayard, gravely telling the citizens of France, that les Americains se mouchent avec des doigts'? I will not offend the delicacy of your sex, nor raise a blush of indignation, by translating the abominable calumny. Suffice it to say, that a single trait of that kind related by a traveller would be sufficient to convince every Frenchman,that we are but little advanced above our savages.

But although general comments on national manners are, for the reasons I have assigned, improper, unjust, and illiberal, still there are certain leading traits, which he who runs may read, and which he may without risk report. To say, for example, that there is a most ludicrous mixture of superstition and levity in the religious exercises of the Italians, and in their observance of the sabbath, would not be hazardous or illiberal. At the church you would suppose them the most devout and pious people in christendom; walk to the Villa Reale, the publick promenade, and you would say, that religion did not enter into their system. The sabbath is the grand moment of festivity and gaiety; and after the conscience has been once discharged by auricular confession, the only study you would. imagine was, how to muster up a good account for the next. The old story of the Cicisbeos is familiar to you. Its repugnance to all our ideas of domestick propriety naturally renders it odious to us. The only question among travellers has been, how far this singular custom extends. Whether it is a merely innocent etiquette? or whether there is that complete corruption of manhers, which appearances indicate? Vol. IV. No. 10.

For my own part, though I admit that the question can never be absolutely put at rest, except by those who enter personally into this vortex of folly or vice, yet I entertain no doubts that the intercourse between the sexes is as corrupt as can well be imagined. It would require more candour than I possess to believe, that while human nature is found so frail in all the colder climates, it can preserve its purity in the midst of temptation, in the warm, luxurious climate of Italy; in that Italy, which in all ages has been famed for its voluptuousness.

The attentions, the tenderness, the marks of unceasing affection, which are openly displayed by the cicisbeo towards his favourite fair, must in the end wean the affections of the most virtuous wife from her husband.

When a married woman not only avowedly receives the assiduities of a young unmarried man, but expresses in the warmest language her love, her esteem for him: when she openly acknowledges her jealousy of her illicit lover, and watches his attentions to other ladies with marked dissatisfaction, I must require evidence that human nature is totally reversed in Italy,before I can believe that such connections are innocent.

The subjugation of this country by France, and the introduction of several thousand young, gallant French officers, have not tended much to purify the morals of this nation. France, you may remember, conquered it in the 13th century, and the debauchery of the French nobility excited so much the jealousy of the Italians, that they massacred every Frenchman on Easter eve, while they were at their devotions. Though the character of the Italians has totally